Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations from The Gargoyles series.

Author's note: This story takes place the summer following "The Journey", and though it ignores the comic's continuity, I'm using Fang's real name, revealed in Bad Guys #2. Buy the comics, people!

Chance Meetings

Chapter 3: Catching Up

By RemTar85

Fang put both hands on his head and laughed heartily, whereas the boy in front of him now looked stunned. It was then than Fang realized he had just delivered quite the bit of news to the poor kid. He stopped laughing, but could not stop smiling even though the boy's expression had not changed.

"Did you just say you're my uncle?" Daniel asked in a small voice. "But you can't be. My uncle's been missing for about two years now."

"About the same time me and the others got turned into winged cats that shoot electricity," Fang stated. "I assume one of the others told you what happened to us four flying freaks."

"Claw did. But you can't be my uncle. Claw, Talon or Maggie could've just told you about me, I bet that's how you know my name and my uncle's," Daniel said.

Fang shook his head. He got off his knees and sat on the floor, legs crossed, hands on his knees, leaning forward a bit. The mutate looked at the boy with a big grin, looking quite amused. Daniel felt even more uneasy at noticing this grin, and took a couple of steps back.

"I did just drop a bombshell on you," Fang said, "so I understand you being skeptical right now. Look, kiddo, I know I don't look the part, and maybe my voice's changed a bit, too. But I can definitely prove that I'm your uncle."

"You can? How?"

"My name is Fred Sykes, my older brother's name is David Sykes, and years ago he married Carmen Vazquez and together they had a son that they named Daniel, and that's you. My bastard, bum of a brother walked out on his family when you were only six years old, we never heard from him since, and from that day on I helped out the best I could. And if you need a little bit more to believe me, do I need to remind you of that time I took you to Coney Island on your birthday, when you turned seven? We went on rides, ate hot dogs and cotton candy, and then you got really bummed out when we were told you were too short to ride the roller coaster, and I made it up by buying you about forty bucks worth of comic books to get you to smile again."

Daniel remained silent all throughout the mutate's explanation. Once Fang had finished, Daniel moved quickly to the transparent wall, pressing his hands on it as he looked at the mutate. Fang, who had been studying the boy's reaction expectantly, grinned once more.

"Oh, my God," Daniel said. "It really is you, Uncle Freddy!"

"You bet I am, Danny Boy!" Fang exclaimed.

"I can't believe it's you!" Daniel said, amazement in his voice. "Mom and I were thinking the worst, and you've been here all this time!"

"I know, I know," Fang said. "And trust me, Danny, I really wanted to visit you, but… well, just look at me! You know how your mom can be at times. One look at me and she would've freaked out, no matter what I said."

"I guess you're right," Daniel said. "But still, how in the world did this happen to you, Uncle? Claw told me how he, Maggie and Talon got turned to mutates, but he never talked to me about you. How did this end up happening to you?"

Fang sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Long story short, I was a little desperate for a job way back then, after they fired me from that warehouse when a bit of trouble came up. Dropped by a diner to beg for a job but didn't get it, and this scientist guy who was there having lunch saw how desperate I was for a job and offered me one. He said he paid real well if I helped with some experiments…"

"But he never said you were the experiment, right?" Daniel finished for Fang.

"Got that right," Fang replied while nodding. "I got to the place, asked what I was supposed to do. Next thing I know, I get some dart with some weird liquid shot in my arm. Then I got stuffed in some cell, where I start going from human to a flying, electric cat guy."

"Gosh. I'm sorry that had to happen to you, Uncle Fred," Daniel said, looking at his uncle sympathetically.

"Hey, don't worry, buddy," Fang said with a smile. "Sure, the transformation hurt like hell, but this body's not half bad."

"But you'll never look like your old self again."

Fang chuckled, shaking his head. "Compared to what I was like before? I was a skinny, wimpy, worthless nobody who always got pushed around. Now I'm big, strong, can shoot electricity, and I can fly. I tell you, kiddo, not being able to walk out in public anymore because of how I look, that's definitely worth it for the thrill I get when I fly."

"Okay," Daniel said, looking rather awkward. "I guess it's going to take a little getting used to seeing you looking like that."

Fang chuckled again, shrugging a bit and motioning for his nephew to sit down as well. Daniel did so, and looked down the corridor, wanting to make sure nobody was coming, as he remembered he wasn't supposed to be there. Fang looked over as well, and after neither seeing nor hearing anybody, he turned back to Daniel.

"Now, Danny, I just gotta ask," Fang said, looking serious now, "how in the world did you end up down here?"

"I figured you were going to ask that," Daniel said, looking a little awkward again. "Things at home haven't been the best since you disappeared, Uncle Fred."

"I was afraid of that," Fang muttered. He had a feeling he was not going to like Daniel's explanation.

Claw panted, running as fast as he could down a corridor. Having to keep the clones in check was not always an easy task, but he didn't expect two of them to wander off right as Derek and Maggie had gone out. After he and Al had gathered a small group of Labyrinth inhabitants to help look for Malibu and Hollywood, they had gone their separate ways and agreed to meet up at a certain time in a certain place and see if they came up with anything.

Slowing down a little to catch his breath, Claw came up on an intersection. The path split two ways, and both ways, he knew, eventually led to exits to the surface. Even though he, Talon and Maggie were teaching them new things, among them independence, Claw knew that the clones were still quite naïve about things in general, some more than others. Hollywood, he knew, was perhaps the most naïve of the lot, while Malibu was one of the more curious ones. It figured those two would be the ones most likely to wander off.

Undecided on which of the two paths to take, the tiger mutate was growing increasingly frustrated. Claw did not want to think what would happen should any of the clones be discovered and captured by people. The Quarrymen were suddenly very present in his mind, and just thinking what they could do to the clones terrified Claw. The clones being a responsibility for him, he would do his best to make sure they wouldn't get hurt.

Still undecided on which way to go, the tiger mutate closed his eyes. He took deep breaths, relaxing as much as he possibly could. He then began sniffing, and all sorts of strong smells invaded his senses. He was almost overwhelmed by it, but time and practice had taught him how to quickly control it. Concentrating solely on his enhanced sense of smell, he started to set the scents apart, looking specifically for Malibu's and Hollywood's scents. It didn't take long before he managed to find the specific scents of the clones, and opening his eyes, he took to the left corridor, running quickly once more. Much as he disliked his mutated state, Claw had to admit that being a mutate sometimes had its advantages.

Fang had stood up, now leaning against the transparent wall that kept him confined. He was growling in a low tone, and the fur on the back of his neck was standing straight. Daniel shuddered at how scary his mutated uncle looked. He noticed the changes on Fang's demeanor as he had been telling him on the situation back home.

"Those two leave you home alone, and going hungry?" Fang asked, suppressing his growling as best as he could.

"It's not like I starve, Uncle," Daniel said, a little nervously. "I just sneak out, ask people for money and eat at a diner."

"At night, Daniel!" Fang said. "You're by yourself out there, during the night! Anything could happen to you, and thank goodness it hasn't!"

"Yeah," Daniel said with his head down. "But it's not that way anymore. Now I come by during the day, I get to eat, and Claw flies me home at night. That way I don't get in trouble and I don't have to be out at night by myself. And at least mom and her husband don't hit me or anything like that."

Fang sighed softly. He was no harmless saint, and he would admit it without a care in the world, but he did care for his only nephew's well being. After hearing Daniel tell him how he doesn't wander the streets at night anymore, and that he wasn't physically abused, Fang took a deep breath and tried calming down. The mutate had also noticed the effect his anger was having on his nephew, and he didn't want to scare Daniel off after having just seen him again after two years.

"That's nice, Danny," Fang said calmly, sitting down again. "I don't want anything bad happening to you. And I'm just really thrilled to see you again. You don't know how rare it is seeing a friendly face around here."

Daniel was about to say something, but then stopped. He looked rather confused, as he stood up slowly.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Fang asked.

"I was so surprised about finding you and about your being a mutate now that I didn't even notice it sooner. Why are you locked up in that cell?"

Fang realized now that he had also forgotten about that specific fact. His mind went blank momentarily, looking awkwardly down at his nephew while he tried his best to come up with an answer. Try as he might, however, Fang could not think up of any excuse good enough to give to his nephew, so he sighed and lowered his head, hiding his face in his hands.

"Come on, Uncle Fred, just answer me," Daniel said, looking surprisingly stern for a child. "I know you come up with some crazy things sometimes, so just tell me what you did to warrant locking you up."

Fang sighed again, looking back up. He thought it would have been amusing how things quickly went from good to bad at the drop of a hat, but the amusement just wasn't there when he was on the receiving end. He figured that it was just best to come out with the truth, and he began explaining. "Well, about a year ago, not long after we all first moved here to the Labyrinth, Claw and me and two other guys found some weapons in a room, and we tried taking over the Labyrinth."

Daniel was silent for a moment, looking surprised, but quickly spoke up. "Tried taking over the Labyrinth? By using weapons? Did the mutation make you insane?"

"I guess," Fang said, looking embarrassed. "It's just that the whole change from human to freak and not being able to see you and everything just happening at once, I guess it got to me and the power went to my head. I didn't feel comfortable where I was, so I thought being in charge could help out, and I went at it the worst way possible. I was a complete moron."

"Moron's an understatement, Uncle!" Daniel said in a loud voice. "That's not even being a bully, that's just really stepping over the line! It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I know," Fang said, not finding it the least bit amusing that his eleven year old nephew was admonishing him. "And I'm sorry, Daniel. I've been sorry about it ever since I just sat down and thought about the whole thing after it happened. Believe me, when you're locked up and never get a chance to get out except to shower while supervised, you get a lot of time to just sit and think."

After hearing this, Daniel began calming down. He turned his back to his uncle and sighed, leaning back against the wall. It was easy to tell how disappointed Daniel was with his uncle. He turned back towards the mutate and sat down again, looking calmer, but still in a visibly sore mood. "Uncle Fred, you said Claw was helping you in trying to take over the Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, he was," Fang replied.

"So how come you're locked up and he's not?"

"Because at the last minute, he switched sides," Fang said. "We were right there, in the middle of it, and I got taken out. When I asked Claw for help, he turned his back on me, and the other two guys who were with us got banned from the Labyrinth. Guess everybody just liked Claw enough to give him a second chance right from the get-go. Me, I was the smartass of the group. That ought to be enough to throw me in the slammer."

"He never told me anything about that," Daniel said, sounding disappointed once more. "So Claw was never punished? And they never gave you a chance to make up for the bad things you did?"

"Not a one," Fang replied. "I've asked for a second chance every once in a while, but Talon's in charge, and he just won't even give me a chance to prove I've changed. Me and Talon, we've never really gotten along, at all."

"I know what you mean," Daniel said. "I don't really like him much either. He's way too uptight."

"And you still only just met him," Fang said, smiling a little now. "He's so stiff that I'm surprised he's got elbows and knees that actually work."

Daniel could not help but smile as well. "And that nasty habit of talking so close to someone after having eaten garlic. When I saw him the first time and he started talking to me, I thought I'd faint either from fright or by his breath."

Fang laughed after hearing that. Not only was he glad that the mood had lightened up considerably between him and Daniel, but knowing that Daniel shared his opinions of Talon with him was quite a good point for Fang's mood. "Gosh, kid, you're something else."

"Thanks, Uncle Freddy," Daniel said, now also in a much better mood.

"So," Fang said, looking hopeful, "does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Well," Daniel replied, "I still think that was really dumb of you, trying to take over the Labyrinth by force, especially after you've told me how you've always hated bullies. But of course I'm going to give you a chance to show you wouldn't do things like that again. Even if you do some crazy things sometimes, I know that you're a nice guy. Besides, you're still my favorite uncle."

"I'm your only uncle, smart guy," Fang said with a chuckle. "But… I gotta ask you a favor, Danny. I know it's gonna sound rather bad, but you're the only person I can count on."

"Okay," Daniel said, looking both curious and slightly apprehensive. "What is it?"

Claw could smell both Malibu and Hollywood quite clearly now. Even with his sense of smell alone, he could tell that both clones were currently together, and very close by. As he followed the scent, Claw was quite surprised at how well his sense of smell was guiding him, considering he very seldom used it like he was now. He disliked it, in a way, since he never liked his mutated state and wished above anything else to be a normal human again. Still, he went along for the ride, thinking that if someday someone found a cure, he might as well do as much good as he could while that happened.

A sudden noise made Claw stop. He stood still, silent, eyes closed as he now used his ears. Seconds later, he opened his eyes and ran down a different corridor. Moments later, he breathed a sigh of relief as he found both clones. He shook his head upon noticing that Hollywood was stuck in a door a little too small for him. The large gargoyle clone groaned in frustration as Malibu tugged on his tail, attempting to free him, to no avail.

"Claw!" Malibu said, noticing the mutate. "Can Claw help? Hollywood stuck."

"Gentle, please. Tail tugs hurt," Hollywood added.

Claw rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He stepped up beside Malibu and held up three fingers in front of him. The clone nodded, understanding quickly enough without the need for explanations. Claw lowered one finger, then the second, and upon lowering the third, he grabbed Hollywood's tail, and now both mutate and clone tugged firmly on the Hollywood's tail. The large clone cried out loud, but the tugging was strong enough to free him. The three fell on a heap on the floor, with Hollywood on top of the others.

"Hollywood too heavy!" Malibu cried out breathlessly. "Get off!"

Hollywood did so, grunting a little as he got up. Claw and Malibu quickly got up as well, with Malibu stretching his back. He looked at Hollywood with a frown and swung his tail at Hollywood, smacking him in the back. The larger clone turned, growling, and also smacked Malibu with his tail. Malibu was about to retaliate, but both clones became quiet upon noticing Claw, looking very stern with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The clones looked embarrassed and stared down at their feet.

"We sorry, Claw," Hollywood said. "We wanted to go glide tonight."

"We bored," Malibu added.

Claw rolled his eyes, but ended up smiling nonetheless. Clones or not, they were still gargoyles, and greatly enjoyed gliding around town. Claw could not blame them for wanting to, considering all the time they spent cooped up in the Labyrinth, only ever going out to glide when one or more of the mutates could accompany them. Claw motioned for the clones to follow, and all three started making their way to where Claw was to meet the other Labyrinth residents who were helping him search.

"You want me to help you escape?" Daniel asked in a surprised tone.

"I told you it would sound bad," Fang said. "But yeah, that's what I'm asking."

"But that would get us both in big trouble," Daniel said. "And you're already in enough trouble down here as it is."

Fang knelt down as close to the cell wall as he could, and after looking at the hall's entrance once more to make sure nobody was nearby, he continued speaking in a low voice. "I know it's probably not the best idea, Danny, but I don't know what else to do. Look at me, I got an animal in me, and that animal's pissed off at being locked up in here for so long. I need to get out. But Talon told me that he's not even sure when he'd ever let me out. Knowing him, my whole fur would probably turn grey before I could ever get out again."

Daniel let that sink in, and sighed. He was thinking hard, wondering what to do. His mind went through everything that his uncle had told him. His thoughts especially lingered on Claw, though. Daniel and Claw had become good friends in only three visits to the Labyrinth, and the boy could not help but be disappointed when he learned from his uncle that Claw had helped in trying to take over the Labyrinth, and understood then why Claw had refused to talk to him about the person who was in the Labyrinth's holding cells.

"Well," Daniel said, "Claw's my friend, and he basically lied to me when he didn't tell me about you, which means he lied to me by not telling me about the bad things he did. But he's still my friend, and I'd like to give him a second chance. And if I give him another chance, then I'll definitely give you another chance, too."

"So that means you'll help me?" Fang asked eagerly.

"Of course, Uncle Fred," Daniel said, nodding. "As long as you promise me you'll stay out of trouble."

"I promise, Danny Boy," Fang said, smiling. "You're really the one person I can count on."

"Thanks, Uncle," Daniel said, smiling as well. "So, tell me, what do I have to do?"

"Well, I'd definitely like nothing better than to run out of here right now, but that wouldn't be smart. So I need you to bring me something the next time you come by here."

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

"Something to cover myself up with," Fang replied, "so I can sneak by without people noticing it's me. Maybe a big blanket, a trench coat, or a tarp, or something like that. Next time you come by here, make sure nobody's watching, open my cell door by pressing the button on the wall, slip it to me and walk away."

"Okay, got it," Daniel said with a nod.

"But, there's still some more things, Danny," Fang continued. "I need your address, cause I want to visit you after I slip out of here. See, I don't want to get you in trouble down here, for helping me escape. There's no guarantee that the plan's gonna work. That's why I want you to do this quietly. When you go out there, you have to pretend you never came by here tonight and that you still don't know anything about me. And next time, right after you open my door and walk away, tell Claw that you don't feel so well and that you'd like him to take you home."

"Okay," Daniel said. "So that means that, no matter what happens, they won't know it was me who helped you, right?"

"Right," Fang nodded, smiling at the boy. "You're my nephew, kiddo. What kind of uncle would I be if I let you get in trouble, especially because of me?"

"You're still the best, Uncle," Daniel said. "So, we have a plan then. I better go now so Claw can take me home."

"Right," Fang said. "You take care now. But there is one last thing, Danny Boy."

"Yes?"

"Just in case, call me Fang," Fang said with a smirk, winking at his nephew.

Daniel smiled and nodded. "Got it, Uncle Fang. I'll get you out of there soon."

Fang chuckled and shook his head, watching his nephew walk away. He had a big smile on his face even as Daniel turned the corridor and was out of sight. After waiting enough for his nephew to be out of listening distance, Fang began to laugh. He walked towards his cot and sat down, picking up the remainder of his dinner. The meatloaf was now cold and the soda warm, but this time, Fang didn't complain at all.

"Looks like I finally got my ticket out of here!" Fang said to himself.

Claw smiled and nodded at Al and the other Labyrinth dwellers as soon as they reached the Labyrinth's main area. Not a single one of them had complained about having to suddenly go searching around for two of the clones, and Claw was glad that the people here had grown so tightly knit that they'd help each other out in anything.

"I'll take these two, Claw," Al said, motioning for Malibu and Hollywood to follow. "Come on, you two. Let's see if we can wrestle that remote away from the others."

"Okay!" both clones said at the same time, and quickly followed Al.

Claw took a deep breath of relief, glad that that situation was taken care of. He stretched himself, wrapped his wings around his shoulders like a cloak, and set off to look for Daniel, remembering he had to take the boy home. He spotted Daniel soon enough, near the kitchen area. His back was turned to the entrance, and he looked back a few times, as if wanting to make sure he was not being watched. Claw took his notepad and pen, and wrote quickly on it. He then walked towards Daniel, and as the boy closed a cabinet, Claw held the notepad in front of Daniel's face from above, making Daniel jump a little in surprise.

"Still looking for snacks, are you? Don't worry, you don't have to be sneaky looking for them, feel free to take any snack you find," Claw had written.

Daniel sighed and turned around, smiling up at Claw. "You scared me! Give a guy a warning next time."

Claw returned the smile, and wrote more on his notepad, showing it to Daniel. "It's about time to take you home. I need to do one last thing, but it will be quick. Can you wait for me in the entrance?"

"Sure, Claw," Daniel said. "I'll be right over."

Claw nodded and walked away. Daniel waited a few seconds, and then turned to the cabinet he had just closed. After making sure nobody was nearby, he dug around amidst the few pots and pans, and a second later he pulled out a fairly large, blue colored blanket he had found on a pile in a small storage room on the second level of the Labyrinth. He had spent a couple of minutes searching for the largest blanket he could find, and was fairly sure this one would do.

"Not a good place to hide, then," Daniel muttered to himself. "Kitchen, definitely not good."

Daniel moved out of the kitchen, holding the blanket and trying to look casual, not wanting to attract the slightest attention. He sighed, knowing the kitchen area was closest to the holding cells, but finding it impossible to keep the blanket hidden there without someone finding it before his next visit to the Labyrinth. He knew he'd need a little skill and a lot of luck to be able to sneak into the holding cells with a blanket without Claw, Talon or Maggie noticing him.

"Looks like it's going to take more luck than anything else now," he said to himself. Looking around a little more, he had noticed another door, not far from the kitchen area. His eyes lit up, remembering that that door led to a laundry area, a place he had quickly dismissed after Claw first showed it to him. He figured it would be the perfect place to keep a blanket, and quickly set off to it, hoping that whatever Claw was doing, it would take at least more than a minute.

After leaving Daniel in the kitchen, Claw made his way to where the clones where watching television. He only hoped that Al had managed to somehow find a way to keep Malibu and Hollywood from wandering off again in hopes of being entertained. To his relief, he found all four male clones had found a television show they all liked to watch, whereas Delilah was sitting calmly on a nearby armchair, reading a book.

Smiling, Claw walked away, moving towards the holding cells. He had agreed with the young, blonde man named Tim that it would be Tim the one to take Fang his dinner tonight. Claw never really liked how Tim got along well with Fang, and neither did Talon and Maggie, he knew. He was relieved, however, when Tim had made it perfectly clear that while he got along well with Fang, he'd never help him in any escape plans, confessing to the other mutates that Fang had asked him to do so. And, though Claw had decided to omit this detail, he always enjoyed an occasional opportunity to not have to take Fang his meals, even though he had chosen this responsibility himself.

Claw found Fang lying in his bed, eyes closed, and a relaxed smile on his face. He also could hear the cougar mutate humming to himself. Claw dismissed this, pushed the button on the wall nearby, and then pulled the transparent door open. Bending down, he took the tray on the floor, noticing the empty can of soda along with the empty plate. Claw smirked at this, shaking his head a little and rolling his yellow eyes. Tim always did try to slip Fang things that they didn't tend to serve him.

Having heard the door open, Fang opened his eyes and looked over, then smiled. "Good evening, Claw. How's everything?"

Claw ignored Fang, knowing that if he replied, Fang would quite probably go into one of his endless rants, or throw in a few insults at him, or both. Claw closed the door, then started to walk away, but stopped as Fang just shrugged, closed his eyes again and slipped right back into humming to himself. Raising an eyebrow, Claw looked at Fang with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Fang was never this calm, this relaxed, and he never missed an opportunity to insult Claw.

Claw's curiosity got the better of him, and knowing he'd possibly regret it, he set the tray on the floor. Taking his notepad, he wrote on it, then pressed it on the transparent wall and knocked on it. Opening his eyes, Fang took a look over, his sharp eyesight seeing the writing quite clearly.

"I don't remember the last time I ever saw you so calm, Fang. Are you up to anything?"

"Nothing at all, Claw," Fang said, still smiling, and sat up on his cot. "Talon says I could probably go out again if I behave. I figure I should go for the one chance I have to be free again, right?"

Claw sighed, not trusting Fang at all, but decided not to pursue the situation any further. He once more wrote on his notepad and showed Fang. "I really hope you finally realized that that's your best bet to get out. I really hope you actually put some effort on it."

"You bet I will, buddy," Fang said, as Claw picked up the tray again. "Ever noticed how life can be a lot like a soap opera sometimes? You just never know what plot twist comes in all of a sudden. Sometimes those plot twists turn out to be the really good ones."

Claw looked at Fang, now more confused than suspicious. He wondered exactly what Fang meant, as the brown-furred mutate went back to lying down. Claw shook his head and started walking away. He had to take Daniel home, and had no time to be worrying about any weird games Fang might be playing. As soon as he was out of sight, Fang smirked and chuckled to himself.

"Plot twists like the sudden appearance of a long lost family member," Fang said to himself. "And thanks to my little lost family member, I'll be outta here before you guys even know what hit you."

To be continued…